Thank You, Tucker and Candace

Thank You, Tucker and Candace
When our critics accidentally remind us of Judaism’s deepest aspirations. 

Dear Friends,

This week, two unlikely teachers helped remind Jews everywhere of one of the most central ideas of our faith.

Their names are Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens.

And for that — strangely enough — we might almost say thank you.

King David once wrote in Tehillim: “מֵאֹיְבַי תְּחַכְּמֵנִי — From my enemies I gain wisdom.” Sometimes our adversaries end up reminding us of truths we ourselves may not always articulate clearly enough.

I had already written my weekly parsha article early Thursday morning when commentary began circulating online suggesting that Chabad was somehow behind the war with Iran as part of a plan to rebuild the Third Beis Hamikdash (Temple in Jerusalem). Around the same time, backing up Tucker, was Candace Owens, who posted that Chabad is building secret tunnels and poses a hidden danger to society.

The accusations were so bizarre that they were almost too “delicious” to ignore.

Yet in a strange way, King David’s words echo here: sometimes our enemies remind us of truths.

Take the claim that Jews — or Chabad in particular — seek to rebuild the Beis Hamikdash, the Third Temple in Jerusalem.

If by that they mean that Jews pray every day for the rebuilding of the Temple, then yes — guilty as charged. But it is hardly a Chabad idea. It is one of the most ancient and universal aspirations of the Jewish people.

At the conclusion of every Amidah, three times each day, Jews pray:

“Yehi ratzon… sheyibaneh Beis Hamikdash bimheira b’yameinu.”
“May it be Your will that the Holy Temple be rebuilt speedily in our days.”

This is not a hidden agenda. It is printed in every Jewish prayer book.

But the Temple, in Jewish thought, is not about domination or conquest. The prophets describe it as a house of prayer for all nations, a place from which moral clarity and peace will radiate to the entire world. When Hashem’s presence is openly revealed there once again, humanity will rediscover the harmony for which it was created.

In other words, rebuilding the Temple is not about Jews ruling the world.

It is about the world finally discovering peace.

And what about the accusation regarding “secret tunnels”?

Even that claim has a curious historical echo.

Nearly 2,700 years ago, during the reign of King Hezekiah, Jerusalem faced invasion from the Assyrian empire led by Sennacherib. In preparation for the siege, King Hezekiah ordered the construction of a remarkable underground aqueduct to secure the city’s water supply.

That engineering marvel — known today as Hezekiah's Tunnel — still runs beneath the City of David, and thousands of visitors from around the world wade through its waters every year.

Jerusalem’s subterranean story does not end there. Jewish tradition also speaks of underground passageways that will one day connect the Mount of Olives to burial places throughout the Jewish diaspora, facilitating the resurrection of the dead in the Messianic era.

So in their own distorted and hostile ways, these commentators have inadvertently touched on ideas deeply rooted in Jewish faith, history, and longing.

And that brings us back to the deeper lesson of this moment.

The Talmud teaches that Hashem once considered appointing King Hezekiah as Mashiach. Why did it not happen? Because despite witnessing the miraculous destruction of the Assyrian army overnight, he failed to sufficiently sing praise and gratitude to Hashem.

History can be filled with miracles — yet we sometimes forget to acknowledge them.

Today we too are witnessing extraordinary events unfolding before our eyes. The United States standing alongside Israel to confront evil. Astonishing developments on the battlefield that seem almost impossible by conventional calculation — including the sudden elimination of Iran’s senior leadership in a single strike last Shabbos morning, removing the “Haman” of our time.

Observers ask: how could such powerful figures have exposed themselves so completely?

The answer may sound familiar to anyone who has read the Megillah.

It was Hashem’s doing.

Just as in the story of Purim, Divine providence often works through what appear to be ordinary events. Coincidences align. Plans unravel. The hidden hand guiding history slowly becomes visible.

And that may be the deepest wisdom we gain even from our enemies.

They may mock, distort, and accuse — but sometimes they inadvertently remind us of who we are.

A people who pray daily for the rebuilding of a Temple dedicated to peace.

A people who believe history is guided by a Divine hand.

And a people who must never forget, especially in moments like these, to recognize the miracles unfolding before our eyes — and to respond with gratitude, faith, and song.

Good Shabbos and Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ruvi New